Town eyes possible uses of Wilkes Square

Thursday

Feb 12, 2009 at 2:00 AM

By Jason Graziadei I&M Senior Writer

Most Nantucketers probably can’t find Wilkes Square on a map of the island. The small memorial to Francis Wilkes, an African- American World War I veteran from Nantucket, across from the American Legion hall on Candle Street, is typically obscured by parked cars. But it could soon mark the entrance to a major redevelopment project that would forever change the face of downtown Nantucket.

The recently-formed Downtown Revitalization Committee has asked the Board of Selectmen to issue a request for design services to develop extensive site plans for a large swath of waterfront acreage, including the former Nantucket Electric Company and tank farm properties.

The committee hopes to see plans that could include new retail outlets and restaurants, year-round housing units, open space for community events, a parking garage, and address the need for a cultural and entertainment venue.

The town, however, does not own any of the property within the proposed project site, and is seeking a dialogue with National Grid, Greenhound, Winthrop and Nantucket Island Resorts, all of which own portions of the area included in the Wilkes Square proposal. Hoping to get out in front of any potential developer who could propose waterfront condominiums or some other project that would raise the hackles of island residents, the committee believes the Wilkes Square designs could foster a proactive relationship between the town and the property owners. Instead of reacting to some proposal foisted upon the town, proponents of the Wilkes Square concept believe the process could allow the town to guide the redevelopment of an important downtown property.

“It’s going to have a significant impact on the downtown area because it’s the last big piece of undeveloped property in the town proper,” selectman Patty Roggeveen said. “So it’s important we have a voice in what’s included here. Ignoring that is not going to help us down the road. We can do a lot now rather than fighting it when it happens.”

Technically known as a “request for qualifications” (RFQ), the document developed by the committee would seek design firms to create three different site plans for the property based on a variety of guidelines including “balancing the human, social and economic needs with the infrastructure requirements of parking” and “protecting the unique qualities , historical significance and feel of the Town.”

At least one of the site plans would have to include a “parking solution” and the controversial concept of a parking garage will no doubt take center stage in the Wilkes Square proposal. In a non-binding ballot question last year, Nantucketers were asked “Shall the Town of Nantucket build, or allow to be built, a multi-level parking garage for public use in downtown Nantucket?” to which 2,223 island voters responded “No” and 1,311 voted “Yes.” The Planning Department, however, has continued to explore the concept of a parking garage, but the committee did not come to a consensus that one should be definitively included in the Wilkes Square plan.

The removal of the fuel tank farm, owned by Winthrop and operated by Harbor Fuel, would also likely be a component of the site plans, and the town’s Bulk Fuel Committee continues to evaluate the best options for an alternative fuel storage site on-island. Besides the National Grid property and the tank farm, the Wilkes Square site also includes the Grand Union grocery store and parking lot, the Greenhound building on the former Island Spirits lot, as well as The Haul-Over building on Salem Street.

“There’s some urgency in the fuel tank problem,” said committee member Flint Ranney. “I think there should be a general mix of virtually everything. The possibility of a parking garage depending on how it can fit in, some kind of housing, some waterfront access or related activities. Everyone has a different opinion.”

The Board of Selectmen discussed the Wilkes Square RFQ last week, but did not vote to issue the document. If it is released, the cost of hiring one of the design firms that respond to the RFQ could cost between $50,000 and $100,000, according to committee members. Selectmen chairman Michael Kopko expressed an interest in attempting to secure private funding for all or part of the cost of the design work, as the town would be paying for site plans on property it does not own.

While committee members did not necessarily agree on all the facets of the RFQ put forward as potential aspects for the Wilkes Square project, they did feel the town should take a proactive approach toward the property. The committee, appointed by the selectmen last year, included planning director Andrew Vorce, Chamber of Commerce director Tracy Bakalar, HDC member David Barham, Planning Board alternate John West, Visitor Services director Kate Hamilton, Sustainable Nantucket board member Wendy Hudson in addition to Ranney and Roggeveen.

“We were looking at all different kinds of goals to balance economic strength and encourage more venues for social activity to revitalize downtown,” Bakalar said. “The committee wanted to be proactive and see what kind of plan could be formulated and be made available if a private developer wanted to get involved. We wanted to have something in place and not have a knee-jerk reaction at the last minute. My personal opinion is that we need more spaces for events and social activities to bring people downtown.”

Nantucket Civic League member D. Anne Atherton said she liked the idea of the town taking the initiative in looking at options for the property, but questioned whether there was a need for more retail outlets and restaurants, and whether a parking garage was the right solution for a problem she believes is undefined.

“To me, it’s putting the solution before defining the problem, and I don’t know if we’re trying to solve an employee parking problem, or what days or weeks of the year we’re trying to address,” Atherton said. “I haven’t seen any definitive study, so in my amateur point of view, I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. It just seems to me that the space, so near the water, the uses to which it should be put should be carefully thought out. I think this is an opportunity for the town to guide the way that area is developed.” The Wilkes Square site was the subject of Article 90 at the 2008 Annual Town Meeting, which voters approved, making the properties eligible for so-called “streamlined permitting.” The process would allow for an expedited permitting time frame for a project that is the result of a mutual agreement between the town and a developer.

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